In May, Sherri Coale retired as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Oklahoma after 25 years of impacting lives. But, the ripple effect of Sherri’s servant leadership goes far beyond the decades of players she coached at Oklahoma. Sherri is a part of the fabric of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Taking a break from long hours in the gym watching the next round of elite talent compete at Nike Nationals, Kay Yow and Sherri Coale met In a small diner in Augusta, Georgia in July 2007.
It was here that Coach Yow cast her vision for Play4Kay to then Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) President, Sherri Coale.
It would be natural to assume that neither Sherri nor Coach Yow could have imagined what Play4Kay, much less the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, would become.
And yet…it is very likely both women envisioned the current success of the Fund and more.
Much more.
Sherri, like Coach Yow, has the rare ability to think big, see the potential, and align the million details that have to come together to achieve greatness.
From the conversation at the diner through the present, Sherri has been a tremendous leader for Kay Yow Cancer Fund Board of Directors, a champion in the fight against all cancers affecting women, and a key to the Fund’s ability to galvanize a nation of coaches.
Those who know Sherri know that she shines among the brightest of lights. Through the Fund, she uses her light to raise money for research and underserved programs, while helping and serving those who may otherwise be lost in a healthcare system that is sometimes too big to see its own cracks and holes.
Thank you, Sherri, for your impact, for giving to all who you have encountered, for sharing your light.